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http://www.abc.net.au/news/2001/12/item20011212132331_1.htm
Australia fails to convince US to alter farm bill
The Federal Agriculture Minister, Warren Truss, says he has not been able to win any changes to the farm bill being debated by the United States Congress.
Mr Truss has led a delegation of Australian farmers to Washington lobbying for some of the Government subsidies to farmers to be removed.
He says he has not achieved any changes to the amount of Government protection for US farmers.
Mr Truss says that will mean Australian farmers will suffer.
"We're especially concerned at the clear intent of the farm lobby to seek to entrench a mentality of farm subsidies in the USA.
"It is obvious that the US, which was once proudly boasted to be the most efficient farmers in the world, have now degenerated to a situation where US farmers are dependent on the taxpayers for around half their income," Mr Truss said.
The Federal Opposition says the Prime Minister should have been actively involved in the lobbying over the bill.
Shadow Agriculture Spokesman Kerry O'Brien, says the Government left it too late to act and should have been sending high level representatives when the bill passed the House of Representatives in October.
"There should have been an ongoing program of lobbying taking place and it should have been given a high priority probably at prime ministerial level," he said.
"We're talking about major national interests for Australia."
Opposition
The Federal Opposition says the Government should have used Australia's role in the war against terrorism to put pressure on the United States Government to agree to changes to its farm bill.
Shadow Agriculture Minister Kerry O'Brien says the Government has failed because it did not act soon enough.
Senator O'Brien says the Prime Minister should have been involved in lobbying on Australia's behalf.
"We've been part of a collective and justified international effort against terrorism, what better time to be lobbying an ally than when we're sharing a battlefield with them?" he said.
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